"Nobody in the game of football should be called a genius. A genius is somebody like Norman Einstein." --Joe Theismann, former NFL quarterback
Three-time Pro Bowl linebacker LaVar Arrington was seriously injured in a motorcycle crash last night. Arrington's condition was described as serious, but not life-threatening, which means what follows will be a rant against the idiocy of today's professional athletes.
For the sake of brevity, we'll leave Cap-Man -- err, Pac-Man -- Jones, Ricky Williams, and Terrell Owens out of this.
In the last two years alone, I can think of two other motorcycle accidents involving NFL players. First, there was Kellen Winslow nailing a curb in a community college parking lot. Then, Big Ben Roethlisberger gets his face all dented in because he wasn't wearing a helmet.
So many times, athletes behave as if the rules don't apply to them. And in some ways, they don't: athletes get to fly on private charter planes, they don't have to wait in line at the bars, and they can have any woman they want -- at least, that's what Kobe was told.
But this attitude of entitlement also breeds a dangerous side effect: an aura of invincibility. Athletes somehow seem to think that they are immune to bodily harm, and as a result, they do stupid, stupid things.
The rest of the league obviously hasn't learned from Winslow's and Roethlisberger's mistakes.
Here's hoping the third time's a charm.
In the last two years alone, I can think of two other motorcycle accidents involving NFL players. First, there was Kellen Winslow nailing a curb in a community college parking lot. Then, Big Ben Roethlisberger gets his face all dented in because he wasn't wearing a helmet.
So many times, athletes behave as if the rules don't apply to them. And in some ways, they don't: athletes get to fly on private charter planes, they don't have to wait in line at the bars, and they can have any woman they want -- at least, that's what Kobe was told.
But this attitude of entitlement also breeds a dangerous side effect: an aura of invincibility. Athletes somehow seem to think that they are immune to bodily harm, and as a result, they do stupid, stupid things.
The rest of the league obviously hasn't learned from Winslow's and Roethlisberger's mistakes.
Here's hoping the third time's a charm.
4 comments:
Whoa--you're right. Great minds do indeed think (and write) alike. Your description of Ben's injury is much better though.
It blows my mind that guys still take the risk of riding a motorcycle with so many millions of dollars on the line.
Good post. Another factor in this feeling of invincibility is that most of these athletes have never been told 'no'.
My only point of minor contention is the inclusion of TO--he's an awful teammate, to be sure, but he has never been in trouble or made similar bad decisions off the field.
Chris, let me help you remember a few off the field incidents involving TO:
* There was the contract holdout. I seem to recall him doing pushups in his driveway for the ESPN cameras.
* There was the suicide attempt, later determined not to be a suicide attempt.
* There is his autobiography, in which he claims he was misquoted. Not sure how that happens.
* There's the time he confesses he didn't hear much of what the Big Tuna had to say because he was too busy thinking about his upcoming birthday party.
* And finally, we have his children's books, the first of which is titled "Little T Learns to Share." Hmmmm...
So in sum, we have no motorcycle accidents, but also no shortage of idiotic actions. And I came up with that list in about 38 seconds.
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